By Casey Rafter

The most common links between Hollywood and Sacramento are “Lady Bird” — set in the city and crafted by hometown phenom Greta Gerwig — and the legacy of Tom Hanks. But there’s a world of under-appreciated movies that are much darker, a collection of horror films made by scrappy underdog creatives that deserve their flowers – or maybe their dead flowers.

Sacramento filmmaker Jon Westling’s second feature, “Brain Bugs,” opens with a familiar image: white bumps and patterns of popcorn ceiling texture accompanied by nothing but the silent contemplation of the protagonist, Teddy. The sense of colorlessness while gazing upwards — sometimes entirely thoughtless, sometimes overwhelmed with inner noise — is a familiar feeling to anyone living beneath a ceiling that hasn’t been retextured in decades. The tranquility is soon dashed by the intrusion of a phone notification, overpowering an otherwise quiet soundscape. Like a hypnotist snapping their fingers, the interruption hooks the audience, compelling it to follow where Westling leads.

“Brain Bugs” embodies the joy of cinematic horror: trying to guess what to expect, then being surprised – or moved to flinch or gasp or squirm.

Westling’s new film represents an evolution from his previous suspenseful romp, “Roadtrip Runaway,” the story of a semi-fictionalized version of himself and a friend getting lost and found as they travel across the country. “Brain Bugs” proves Westling has learned the power of smaller details, opting this time for a study of how two people function when isolated in a closed setting and left with the chaos of their mental misfirings.

“Filmmaking is a way to delve into the human psyche and confront the fears that we often avoid in our daily lives,” Westling observes. “Every film I make is a chance to explore the complexity of human relationships, especially when under pressure. That tension can lead to surprising and often darkly comedic moments.”

In “Brain Bugs,” the depressed and unlucky food delivery driver Ted finds himself held at gunpoint, forced to now courier his assailant about with the intent to mug “the right person.” Like “Roadtrip Runaway,” a great deal of the film takes place within a vehicle; though Westling’s new offering keeps with the two characters, allowing tension and kinship to develop between a man with a gun and a man under threat, both confined together in a Toyota Echo.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that horror doesn’t just come from what we see, but also from what we don’t see and how our minds fill in those gaps,” Westling notes. “Teddy tries to talk to this gunman … to see him as a human being and to save his own life by way of becoming, if not friends, a compatriot to the gunman.”

Local director Seb Flynn is also making his mark on the horror genre. Flynn’s upcoming film “Paper Man” has an expected release date in November. His previous short, “Under the Sheet,” dives into psychological horror, exploring themes of the unseen along with the twisting of reality and time. “Under the Seat” augments its chilling atmosphere with innovative cinematography, effectively using minimalistic settings and sound design to heighten tension.

“Horror is a playground for exploring the darkest corners of our minds,” Flynn reflects. “It’s where we confront fears we don’t always acknowledge. It’s about what lurks just out of sight and how our imagination can turn the mundane into something terrifying.”

Flynn’s short “Happy Thoughts” taps a similar vein, gathering five young men in a home for Thanksgiving and letting tension manipulate one character’s grip on reality. “Happy Thoughts” juxtaposes cheerful imagery with unsettling undertones, all while toying with dramatic coloring to indicate a break in the psychic calm implied by the title.

Flynn and Westling’s film-town has great theaters for showing their work. Westling screened “Roadtrip Runaway” last December at The Crest, the theater being a longtime home for highlighting horror classics like Interview with the Vampire, which will play on Oct. 30, or “Night of the Living Dead” and “They Live!” The Crest was also the home of Trash Film Orgy, or TFO, a festival that – from 2001 until a management change in 2014 – showcased independently produced horror shorts, not to mention films forged by the TFO team itself such as “Monster from Bikini Beach” and “Badass Monster Killer.”

With players like TFO and local festival producer Love Horror Events, as well as one-off screenings at The Crest, The Tower Theatre and Dreamland Cinema, local directors have several platforms to find an audience.

There has been some overlap between TFO’s now mostly quiet operations and Love Horror Events. For example, the two groups came together in November 2023 to screen TFO’s film, “Planet of the Vampire Women.”

Love Horror Events also produces local horror-related festivals Sinister Creature Con and Sacramento Horror Film Festival, which showcases a global selection of independent horror films.

Sacramento has a significant history in the horror genre. One notable title that was set and filmed in the area was “The Night Stalker,” a 1972 flick that was based on serial killer Richard Ramirez. Much later, Roseville-born Matt Thompson’s 2011 horror feature “Bloodline” was shot in Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties. Additionally, local filmmaker Nick Leisure’s 2022 “Last the Night” was made on location in the City of Trees and starred Brian Austin Green.

Now, filmmakers like Westling and Flynn are making their own unique contributions.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the contrast between joy and despair,” Flynn admits. “This [new] film challenges the idea that happiness is always a good thing. Sometimes, what seems cheerful can hide something sinister.”